About Me

***Please NOTE***
I live most of the year in CHINA so if you are requesting to stay in Hilo, Hawaii, I will not even answer your request because that means that you didn't read this message AT ALL.

If you're interested in staying in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, by all means message me as I do have an extra room available for fellow travelers.

CURRENT MISSION

My previous goal was to visit 20 countries by 30 but seeing as that time is drawing near, I've changed it to 35...ish. I'm also collecting Harry Potter in as many languages as I can. So far: Japanese, Malay, Thai, Spanish, Vietnamese and Latin are all I have. I still need about 60 more!

I am in Zhejiang Province of China with my husband working but our journey here is only the beginning of many travels to come! We used to live in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand and was originally from the Big Island of Hawaii. We are English teachers on a mission to teach our native tongue to others and learn the language and culture of the places we visit.

It's been a long time since I've been involved with Couch Surfing so I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

I'm a proud Alum of the University of Hawaii AT HILO (not Manoa :P) and am currently trying to obtain my MSOM for Chinese Medicine.

I figure, I'm not going to get much traveling done once I've started my career so I should get as many stamps into my passport as I can!

I've hosted a few people here in Hawaii as well in Japan but if you want more information about Hilo Check out my Pinterest page if you need a bit more ideas about Hilo or the Big Island of Hawaii.

Don't really have much of a philosophy per se other than go where life leads you. I believe we can cope with everything that is thrown at us so if we do something crazy or extreme, we should be able to cope with any sort of repercussions afterwards :P

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been fortunate enough to CS with people in Hawaii as well as internationally. I've been hosted by those in Japan, Malaysia, and Viet Nam. I've helped collaborate meetings while in Japan and in Hawaii and hope to do a few more before our trip.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had such great experiences meeting people from around the world through CS. I've only every had great experiences and know it's one of the best ways to get to know a place as a new comer, find out about the local culture as well as meet new people that become great friends.

Interests

FOOD!!
Travel and meeting new people
Learning about different cultures

I'm currently a Herbalist in training. I'm studying Chinese Medicine to give me a basis for my passion for medicinal plants but I hope to branch out from there. I want to learn more about indigenous culture's use of different medicinal plants as well as how it is used regionally and culturally.

Love to read (unfortunately, haven't had enough time), but thanks to my travels, I've become VERY interested in photography. I'm always snapping shots of everyday life or beautiful scenes/moments when I stumble upon them.
I'm a writer and can always explain or describe things better with a pen but traveling has opened up a new world for me as a writer, hopefully, I'll make something for all of this.

Haha, new Hobby: Collecting Harry Potter in different Languages. I now have a copy in Malay, Vietnamese, & Thai. I'm just interested to see how widespread these books have become.

Movies: Inception, the Princess Bride, DISNEY, Slumdog Millionaire, Star Trek, As Good As it Gets, the Matrix, Anne of Green Gables, Dogma, Bend it like Beckham, Shimotsuma Monogatari, The Gods Must be Crazy, Whale Rider,

Music: easier if I tell you what I Don't listen to! I don't really listen to Reggae, ska in your face screaming, unoriginal R&B and most of the stuff that is topping the chart (of course there are the rare occasional songs that actually have substance but once in a blue moon...)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

[2017]
Hiked the Annapurna Circuit Trail in Nepal over 12 days. It was, without a doubt, the hardest thing I've ever done physically but very rewarding experience. The best part is I met so many other travelers throughout the trek and the camaraderie we shared was instantaneous.

[2016]
Lived in two different countries this year
Started learning two different languages.

[2013]
Over coming some fears in Samoa by exploring Piula Caves as well as Tosua Trenches (fear of drowning, underwater caves & heights)

[2008]
Traveled to 8 countries
Finding a secluded spot away from all the tourist and all your myself in the Ancient Angkor Wat to read or just contemplate. It's really surreal to be relaxing on stones that are centuries. Just trying to fathom the amount of labor and number of lives it took to build the monument is mind-blowing but calming at the same time. That and watching the sun rise and thinking, 'how many sun rises has this temple been a witness to and how many people have stood where I stood to see this spectacular sight!'

Climbing Tham Seua in Krabi Thailand. That was definitely a highlight of my trip, especially when I look back at it now. Climbing 1,237 steps was practically climbing a mini mountain (just about as painful too!), but coupled with vertigo, it made that trek a bit difficult. After reaching the top, not only did you feel a great sense of accompaniment, but a bit free. I looked down at the tiny town that I had started at with step one and realized that I wasn't afraid to look down at such heights; not after climbing it like I did. I over came my fear of heights at that moment and new that I accomplished more than just climb over 1,000 steps.

[2003]
Plenty (hmm..) When the Volcano stopped erupting after 18 years and started up again a few weeks/days later, I was able to stand a good 10 feet from Pele's flow. We gave her an offering of Liquor and cigarettes :D

Teach, Learn, Share

Stories, culture & usually FOOOOD.
Oh, and don't forget the pictures! I'm learning that pictures are a definite must on my "Must bring List" when I travel as I can't live without my camera so I hope to take pictures as well as share them.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love sharing stories about our travels and pictures. I also love to share food because everyone can connect on that level. Whether it's me cooking or grabbing a bite to eat, everyone is usually happy when is food involved.